The MSc in Petroleum Geoscience focusses on geological processes that have resulted in the formation of oil and gas fields as well as the processes which are important to produce oil and gas from those deeply buried fields are studied.
Geological courses discuss the formation of sedimentary basins, and the distribution patterns of sediments. Students need to understand the formation of source rocks from which petroleum is created, reservoir rocks in which petroleum is stored, and traps in which oil and gas reside in the deep subsurface.
Geophysics is a critical tool, because it allows us to make an image of the subsurface. Fundamental as well as advanced theories and applications of seismic data acquisition, processing, and interpretation are offered.
Students will be exposed to modern computer workstation based geophysical tools for data interpretation.
Geochemistry tells us the source of origin of oil and gas. It also discusses the fundamental causes for the occurrence of different oil qualities within Oman. Modern modeling tools are used to learn to predict the formation of oil and gas. Various engineering subjects are studied to understand how fluids flow from the deep reservoir to the pipeline on the surface. Two core courses integrate the entire work flow for exploration and the production of oil and gas.
To summarise, petroleum geoscience is the art of integrating data from many different disciplines, with the aim to efficiently find and produce hydrocarbons.

Career Opportunities

Graduates from the MSc in Petroleum Geoscience program usually build a career in the petroleum industry, and play an important role in the success of companies to find and produce oil and gas.
The job market for our graduates is excellent, and opportunities in Oman and beyond are plentiful. The number of jobs for geoscientists in the oil industry continues to grow, and is expected to offer a long-term employment market for many years to come.
Plenty of opportunities exist in the growing number of oil companies operating in Oman. There also exists a large, and growing, service sector surrounding the operating companies, which consists of international as well as of local service providers.
Finally, the Government has a ministry specifically for the Oil and Gas industry sector wherein also employment opportunities are available.

Opportunities for further studies

The MSc in Petroleum Geoscience from GUtech is accepted and recognised outside Oman. Therefore, students with drive, interest, and competence may elect to continue studying for a PhD degree. Currently, GUtech does not offer this independently, but we have arrangements with other universities to set-up PhD projects.

Entry Requirements

The pre-requisite for joining the MSc program is a BSc in Geology or a related subject in “the broad field of earth sciences”. An average GPA of at least 2.5 is required.
An IELTS score of 6.0 for all bands is mandatory.

Structure

The programme comprises of 90 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) for courses and 30 ECTS for the MSc thesis. 120 ECTS is equivalent to 300 credit points in the Oman Qualification Framework.
One ECTS corresponds to 25 hours student work-load. There are about 800 contact hours with professors (classroom sessions, practicals, field work), and 2200 hours of self-study. The quality of the thesis must allow it to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, after adaptations in terms of the length, scope, and style to meet the journal’s requirements.
The programme is being offered as part-time. This implies a workload of about 25 hours per week. The courses are offered in “block” format for which we organise one week per month of full-time class sessions. The remaining time of each month is intended for self-study and assignments.
In this way, staff working on rotation jobs can also join. There are 6 semesters over a time period of 3 years. Courses develop from fundamental to advanced. The writing of an MSc thesis forms the kernel of the programme and takes one semester.